Modern curiosities of art & nature extracted out of the cabinets of the most eminent personages of the French court : together with the choicest secrets in mechanicks, communicated by the most approved artists of France / composed and experimented by the Sieur Lemery, apothecary to the French king ; made English from the original French.

How to colour the Pastboard Fish.

If it be a Carp, lay on Leaf Gold with Gold Oyl Size, where a Carp seems most of a Golden Colour, in other places, as un∣der the Belly, and upon the Back, you ought to paint with fit Pencil Colours and umber ground very thin with oil, and with a Pencil draw the scales, and shadow'em to the life; then paint the head and the eyes, having a natural Carp before you: having painted the Carp, dry it and varnish it with drying Varnish made of Spike Oyl, and give it so many courses as is usual in Var∣nishing, when dry, with your Finger give a gentle touch of the same Varnish upon its Head, which being so dry as that will but just stick to the Fingers, even as when you are to guild in Oyl, then take shell Gold temper'd only with Water, and with a Pen∣cil gild those places that require it, with the same Pencil heightning some Scales, but those above the Back, with the washing of your shell, that they appear not so strong as in other places, then with your Finger varnish it, let it dry, and with the washing of your Shell of Silver, and with a large Pencil, frost over those places that seem Sil∣verish, then with a small Pencil draw the Scales with shell Silver, all being dry, give another course of Varnish, and let it dry,

to make the Eyes perfect, get some hollow Beads blown at the Glass-House, of the size of the Fishes Eye, divide them in two pie∣ces, and paint in them with the Colours of Gold and Silver, paint the Eye to the Life; being dry, make a hollow in the place for the Eye, and place them in fit: more may be added, but the rest is left to the patience and ingenuity of the industrious Artist; if you would have them in Brass, do as in o∣ther Figures.